This invention relates generally to an organizer for a motor vehicle trunk, and more particularly, to a partition disposed within the trunk of a motor vehicle for retaining small items from moving about in the trunk and which can be collapsed to an out of the way stowed position when the full trunk area is required.
In response to consumer demand for more-storage space, manufacturers are continually improving motor vehicle designs to maximize the amount of room available for passengers and stowage of passenger belongings. This is particularly true with the trunks of automobiles where the manufacturers have made great strides in increasing available stowage space. Unfortunately, as trunk space increases, it becomes more difficult to carry smaller items within the trunk without having them jostled about while driving the vehicle. A particular difficulty exists with carrying groceries because the bags have a tendency to fall over as the vehicle accelerates, decelerates or maneuvers through turns. When the bags fall over, the groceries often spill out into the trunk and in some cases may be damaged. In spite of this problem, consumers have often indicated that the preferred area for carrying items is in the trunk over, for example, the rear passenger seat. A similar problem with carrying small items also exists with mini-vans, station wagons and hatchback vehicles.
Larger trunks also pose ergonomic difficulties for a person lifting items from the trunk. If the item moves forward in the trunk area, the person must bend over the edge of the trunk and lift the item away from their body. This creates an awkward lifting position. It would be better if smaller items could be retained near the edge of the trunk so that they may be more easily lifted from the trunk.
Several partition devices have been designed to fit into hatchback vehicles or station wagons for dividing the large storage area into smaller storage areas. The devices can generally be stowed within the storage area when the full area is required or deployed into partitions when it is desirable to carry smaller items. One such partition device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,584 issued Jan. 12, 1988 to Schoeny. The device disclosed therein consists of a base member to which a back flap member is hinged. The back flap member could be raised and secured with a latch device to define a partition. Side members were also provided and hinged to the back flap member and can be folded out and latched to form 90 degree angles to the back flap and thereby define three smaller storage areas. The partition device is inserted into the back of a hatchback vehicle and is sized to fit closely to the inner walls of the vehicle storage area to prevent it from moving around. In addition, velcro may be used to further secure the partition device to a carpeted floor of the compartment. A disadvantage of such a partition device is that it must be uniquely sized to fit particular vehicles and is not easily removed from the vehicle.
Another partition device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,213 issued Sep. 10, 1985 to Herlitz et al. The device disclosed therein includes slats secured to the floor of the storage space of a station wagon and which serve as cargo skids when in the stowed position. The slats can be raised and secured to define partitions within the storage area for stowing smaller items. As with the above described partition device, this device also suffers from the disadvantage of having to be designed to fit a particular vehicle and can not be removed from the vehicle.
As can be further appreciated, any partition device for dividing the trunk of a motor vehicle should have a minimal number of parts in order to keep production costs low. The device should also be adaptable to most any motor vehicle storage area without requiring modification to the vehicle.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a low cost collapsible partition device which is adaptable to the trunks of many motor vehicles. In a preferred embodiment, the device makes advantageous use of anchors or other tie down means frequently included within the storage areas of motor vehicles and therefore does not require modifications to the motor vehicle storage areas. In a second preferred embodiment, the device is easily adapted to the trunk of a vehicle with few modifications.